


We Will Meet Again

by Alizarin Tea (TeaCupsandUmbrellas)



Series: We Will Meet Again [1]
Category: Critical Role (Web Series)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Reincarnation, F/F, F/M, M/M, Magic, Magical Realism, Will be tagged as story develops
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-02-14
Updated: 2016-03-12
Packaged: 2018-05-20 12:07:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 16,967
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6005320
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TeaCupsandUmbrellas/pseuds/Alizarin%20Tea
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Three thousand years after Vox Machina, there is . . . Vox Machina.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue: The Legend of Vox Machina

Shaun Gilmore walked into the main foyer of his shop, holding a large volume in his hands. He set it down, watching as the ragtag group of college students all gathered around. Their expressions varied from excited to  nervous to just confused. He held up a hand, raising an eyebrow, and smiled as they all sat back again. They were sheepish and their feet shuffled but though that energy never really left the room. Not even the slumped postures could hide their nervous tics. A bouncing leg, a strand of hair tucked behind an ear, the clicking of teeth.

“Shall we begin?” he asked, opening the book to the first page. He began to read.

_The story of Vox Machina is as long as it is mysterious. Many details have been lost to time and fable and it is sometimes hard to tell what is fact and what is fiction. There are a few key details known. First, we know that Vox Machina all lived together in a keep outside of Emon. We even know a little about them, though their names have been lost to time forever. Or so it would it seem._

_First, the twins. Fierce and loyal, they lived to protect themselves and those they loved. Unconditionally._

 

* * *

 

“Vax, I swear to fucking Christ, if you don’t get out of there right this instant, I will murder you with my shoe!”

Vax’ahlia’s yelling prompted the bathroom door to open. Steam billowed out around the figure of a young man with long dark hair and angular features. They were like that of his sister’s. With only a pair of low-slung jeans on, he leaned against the doorway, arms crossed. A smirk that was rivaled only by Vex’ahlia’s was firmly in place. Vex hated that smirk when it was directed at her. It made her feel like they were children again and she was the fool who had decided to pick a fight with her brother.

Those fools never lasted long.

“But, my dear, how ever will I find a man if I cannot take the time to perfect my appearance?” he asked, putting on a horrid fake American Southern accent, batting his eyelashes. That is until a resounding smack caused him to stop giggling. He looked offended for all of ten seconds. His hand rubbed at his shoulder where Vex had slapped him hard enough to bruise.

It wouldn’t bruise. Probably.

“You won’t be able to find any man, or woman for that matter if your face is beat in.” Vex answered, arms crossing as her massive Newfoundland let out a roar. Alright, it was more of a bark, but with how huge the thing was, it might as well have been a roar. A resounding, bone-deep roar that often kept any creeps wandering the streets at night far away. Trinket was useful for that sort of thing, if not anything else. Not that he would tell Vex that.

“Don’t sic Trinket on me just because you aren’t able to get your ass out of bed in time to get to the bathroom first.” He rolled his eyes and ducked back into the room, shutting the door in her face. That should be an effective way to end the conversation, right?  What followed was a cacophony of noise - pounding fists on the door, shouting from outside and from within, and Trinket’s booming bark. The neighbors would be calling again, Vax was sure of it.

Finally, Vax’ildan emerged again, hair brushed back and wearing a shirt - thank God. “There, was that so hard?” he asked as he slipped past his sister to his room. Vex stood, practically steaming, before letting out a frustrated sound. She turned from the room and marched into the restroom, slamming the door shut behind her. A few beats of silence made Vax stop putting on his shoes, waiting.

Another scream of her brother’s name echoed through the small apartment.

“Vax’ildan, you bastard, I can smell the bleach in my shampoo! I will _kill_ you!”

 

* * *

 

_The kindhearted Druid and the blessed Cleric, each with gentle hands and a sharing nature, kept the group humble and kind. And, of course, the Bard who could sing even the hardest hearts into melting. And the tightest of trousers into dropping._

 

* * *

 

“Kiki? Kiki? Ki - oh, there you are. I should have guessed.” Pike laughed as she came outside onto the balcony, seeing Keyleth tending to the small garden. It was the only thing that could grow in Emon, at least in a two-room apartment at the center of the city. “If you don’t hurry, you’ll be late for class again. You know how Allura gets.”

“Shouldn’t you be meeting your boyfriend?” Keyleth asked, a little distracted as she watered the little herbs growing along the edge of a box. If only they could get more rain -

“Scanlan? Oh, gods, no. No.” Her blonde head shook hard, curls falling out of her hasty bun. “Please, never say that again. And especially not where he can hear you.” Keyleth turned, setting the little yellow watering can on the ground by her feet. Her hands went to her hips as she looked at Pike, one eyebrow raised. “No, Kiki.” This time, the petite young woman’s voice changed to something with far more authority. At first, it might seem laughable, when Pike was authoritative. But all that dancing made Pike a formidable fork-wielder, striking fear into all hearts.

“If you say so,” Keyleth sang, trotting past Pike and nearly whipping her with her long red hair. “I think you should give him a chance,” she continued, slipping on a pair of green sandals. “How often do men throw themselves at us?” The little dancer scoffed, knowing exactly how many student throw themselves at Keyleth. Men and women alike. Not that that was surprising. How did one _not_ fall for a tall, graceful figure with red hair that reached her waist?

“Must I mention Kashaw?”

“Oh, hush,” she said, stopping at a flower pot right next to the door. Pike slung her bag over her shoulder, waiting patiently as Keyleth trailed her fingers over the stem. It straightened, strengthening, and the leaves uncurled and the brown turned to green.  “Kashaw was - a kiss. A fleeting, very attractive - kiss. A hummingbird.” Her fingers fluttered as she stood up. “A - ah - hm -”

“You haven’t heard from him, have you?” Pike asked, smiling gently, sympathetic. A blush rose in Keyleth’s cheeks as she reached for her own bag, shaking her head, letting her long hair hide her face. Pike didn't need to see how disappointed she really was.

“But I never expected him to. It was a kiss. A heat-of-the-moment thing that we both enjoyed and then -” she shrugged. “It was over.”

Reaching behind her, Keyleth opened the door - to find Scanlan Shorthalt standing in their hallway.

“Good morning, ladies!” he said, stretching out his arms. He was almost as petite as Pike though no one would ever dare tell him so. Curly brown hair was pulled back into a ponytail, as seemed to be the fashion of these days. On his back was a guitar case. “Are you ready for the charming Professor Allura’s class on sorcery?”

“You know her name is Allura _Vysoren_ , right?” Pike asked as she locked up behind her and Keyleth. “And therefore, should technically be Professor Vysoren? It's rude to shirk her station, you know. You're almost as bad as Tiberius.

“Didn’t you just refer to her as Allura?” Keyleth asked as the trio walked towards the stairs.

“My lady Pike!” Scanlan said, hand pressing to his chest. “Is it true? Have you scorned me for making the very same mistake you made only moments before?” His face into a look of complete and utter betrayal. "And to compare me to the half-wit _Tiberius_ -"

“Well, perhaps a bit of forgiveness is in order,” she said, giggling. Pike leaned in to press a kiss to Scanlan's cheek before brushing past him to the stairs. "Last one down buys drinks!" she yelled. Keyleth followed, laughing, and Scanlan was unable to move for a long time.

Thank god he had a gig tonight.

 

* * *

 

_The mighty Barbarian gave the group its might and strength. A bookish Sorcerer provided quick-thinking intelligence when it was most needed._

 

* * *

 

“If I find one more red solo cup on my books, Grog, you will find yourself swimming in a pool of mead.” Tiberius said as he swept the mess from off the floor, sighing at the huge lump still snoring on the sofa. He humphed as he adjusted his glasses, dumping the mess of plastic onto the young man’s head.

With a shout, Grog sat up, arms waving frantically. Tiberius dodged out of the way, skillfully picking up his stack of books. He swirled out of the way, keeping his books safe until they were tucked into his bag. It took Grog a few more minutes to find his bearings, his hand going to his bald head and rubbing as if that would produce more brain cells.

Tibs blamed the football. Or the rugby. Probably the rugby.

“Come on, big guy,” the student said, shoving at Grog’s shoulders as he groaned. “I’ve got orange juice and asprin in the kitchen. And bacon. You like bacon!”

“I like not having a headache,” he grumbled, reluctantly allowing himself to be pushed to his feet. “Bacon will help?” The way he said it - well, it was hard to describe. Imagine a massive mountain of a man, all muscle and ink, with the loudest, deepest voice on campus. And now imagine a small child with blinking brown eyes.

Combine them and you received Grog Strongjaw. Tiberius doesn’t understand how it’s possible, either.

“Yes, bacon will help,” he said, not even exasperated at this point. There were many mornings spent guiding a half-drunk Grog from the sofa to the kitchen. It was Tiberius' job to make sure he was sober enough to know when Allura was and was not talking. He hadn't yet gotten him sober enough to actually take notes at seven in the morning. But it was a start.

“And then we’ll go see you stumble and blush through Professor Vysoren’s class?” he asked, grinning even through his headache. Sometimes, Grog was not as dumb as everyone thought. Under all that muscle was an intelligent four year old. "Maybe this time, you won't say something stupid."

Scratch that. Grog was a four year old with a propensity for being a git. A large man-child who was absolutely the worst friend in the world, in fact. And far too sober for his own good. Obviously. But - well, he wasn't wrong. Tiberius sighed, shoulders slumping as he patted Grog’s back. They walked into the kitchen, Grog looking reverent as he sat down in front of the plate of bacon.

“That’s right, big guy. That’s exactly right.”

 

* * *

 

 _And, finally, a mysterious figure cloaked in mystery. There is very little known about the gunslinger of Vox Machina. His past is a mystery, even how he joined Vox Machina in the first place is unknown. Despite this mystery, however, it_ is _known that the Gunslinger held his heart on his sleeves, even without realising it, and was the best damn shot in all of Emon._

 

* * *

 

“You’ll never make it to class if you stay here moping all day,” Cassandra de Rolo set a cup of tea in front of her brother. She sighed as she sat down next to him, looking worried. Delicate hands took his roughened hands, tracing over cuts and calluses. “Remember what we talked about?” She didn’t wait for an answer, only continued talking. Percy had learned by now when to keep his mouth shut, and this was one of those moments. Even if he was itching to go hide in his room. “Mother and father would have wanted us to go back to normal. Even if ‘normal’ has been a bit delayed.”

“I don’t think your captivity at the hands of those -”

“I’d hardly call it captivity -”

“Or my imprisonment -”

“ _Really_ , Percy -”

“Is what they meant.” Percy finished, taking his hands back. He reached for the cup and took a sip with such finality that he forgot to check how hot it was. He sputtered, spilling boiling water down the front of his shirt. “Shit,” he hissed, holding the wet cloth away from his body, face contorting into a grimace. “This is my best one.”

“Go get changed,” Cassandra said, taking the cup from her brother firmly. “And then leave this house. I can get to school on my own, you know I can. Go,” she pushed at his arm until he relented, standing. He didn’t leave, however, without first pressing a quick kiss to his sister’s cheek. When he pulled back, he hesitated, looking apprehensive.

“Our lives -” he started, about to spiral back down into his own world. His sister knew where that led. In the depths of Percy's mind, all brightness left his world and he was left drowning. Cassandra stopped him in his tracks.

“Are about to become much better,” she promised, voice gentle and quiet. Percy sighed.

“Time to face the world, eh?” he asked, taking her hand and squeezing.

“Time to face the world,” she agreed, squeezing right back.

 

* * *

 

_These are the heroes of Emon. It’s protectors. It’s angels. The eight instrumental keys to the world saved and plundered, struggled and triumphed. They became friends, then family, then so much more._

 

* * *

 

The book Shaun Gilmore held in his hands snapped shut, sending dust flying up into the air. The man didn't even seem fazed. He looked at each of the eight faces before him, lingering on their features, before smiling. Oh, he had been waiting for this day for a very, very long time. Longer than anyone had ever waited for anyone, he was sure of it. And thank the Gods they’d come now, instead of in a few decades.

But perhaps that was the way of things. What you wait for the longest only comes when you need it most.

He should write that one down. Perhaps give it to the bard. Musician. Whatever. Gilmore let the silence linger for just a few moments before gently setting the book down on the counter. Gold bracelets clinked together.

“So,” he asked, sliding the book across the counter. He smiled as eight pairs of eyes followed its path. The smile only widened when those eyes all snapped up to look at him, entirely in unison. Oh, yes, it was them alright. Vox Machina had returned. “Are you ready to hear your destiny?”


	2. Disappearing Acts

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With Percy's arrival at Emon University comes teasing, a few deep conversations, and surprising revelations.

There were very few students on campus at Emon University who didn’t take at least one class from Allura Vysoren. The woman was, well. In the words of Tiberius, she was “the most intelligent, kind-hearted, beautiful woman to ever grace the city of Emon. Perhaps even the world.”

The Dragonborn wasn’t alone in his opinions. It was not a rare occurrence for students to fall head-over-heels for the Sorceress; there were even rumours that a boy had once flung himself off the balcony for love of her. Though Allura vehemently denied those rumours, she never failed to blush. Especially when Kima started poking fun.

It could be said that that student - one who jumped from the balcony - was Tiberius Stormwind, but he would argue against it to his grave. “Why on Earth would I do that? Time spent in hospital would mean time spent away from a goddess!” At this point, about four glasses of water were dumped on his head.

With so many students wishing to experience a class by the great Allura Vysoren, it took quite a bit of maneuvering (and charming, on Scanlan’s part) to get the five of them all in the same class together. It was one of the only general courses they were all taking simultaneously and they would not let a silly thing like schedules keep them apart. It was one of her smaller classes, at an odd hour that most students would abhor (seven in the morning) but they were willing to make that sacrifice in order to spend their final year of university with Allura Vysoren. And each other, of course.

The fact that the Twins were also in the class - well, for some it was a good thing and for others . . . not so much.

“That Vax, I’m not so sure about him,” Tiberius said, spotting the twins and their massive dog from across campus. “Vex I understand. She’s so loud, it’s difficult not to understand her.” Pike threw a pencil at his dark red head, making him scowl; and turn to her, away from the Twins. “What? It’s true. But Vax, he’s -”

“Quiet,” Keyleth supplied, looking up from the flower patch she was nursing into a full-grown bush. “He’s quiet.”

“Is that so bad? I could get used to the quiet.” Pike gave a pointed look to Scanlan, who was a few feet away, serenading a group of freshman with his guitar and his voice. “Quiet might be very nice.”

“Quiet is nice,” Tiberius agreed, “but Vax is -”

“Oh, look,” Keyleth grabbed Pike’s arm, gesturing across the lawn, at a young human man who had pale hair and even paler features. He was practically colourless, with a pair of silver glasses to top it all of. “He looks lost. Like a puppy. We should help him.”

“Let the twins help him,” Grog said lazily, waving a big hand from his position on the ground. “They’re closer.”

“The twins only speak to each other,” Pike reminded him gently from her position on his back. “Remember?” she tapped his head with her textbook, a religious text that was far larger than it really should have been.

“Ow,” he complained, rubbing at the back of his head. 

“Are we talking about the twins again?” Scanlan asked as he plopped down on the grass in front of Pike, fingers strumming at the guitar. “The amount we talk about them is kind of disturbing. I mean, the girl is hot and the guy has that whole ‘I could kill you or I could fuck you against the wall’ vibe, but -”

“No, we’re talking about him,” Keyleth gestured to the young man again, who seemed to be even more lost now that he was in a group of people. He kept turning his circles, his height not even able to gain him any advantage. Keyleth watched him for a few moments before her gaze slid to the twins. Vex looked completely uninterested in everything around her besides her dog as the two locked up their bikes. Vax, however. His usually quick hands had slowed as he all but stared at the young man with the white hair. “I’ve never seen him before.”

“Huh,” was the gnome’s only response. An intelligent one, probably, considering even that earned him a glare from the half-elven druid. “Well, let’s go introduce ourselves. Come on, team!” He stood up, holding a hand out for Pike. “Shall we?”

“Must we?” Tiberius, who had returned to his own book as soon as everyone stopped paying attention to him, looked up and scowled. “He can’t be that interesting.”

“He does look rather lonely,” Pike considered, hesitating before taking Scanlan’s hand to stand. “Kiki?”

“Okay!” she hopped up, abandoning the small clump of flowers at her feet to begin growing on their own. “Let’s go.” She took Scanlan’s other hand, effectively deflating him, and the three of them walked across the lawn to where the mysterious young man stood, with a leather bag and his silver glasses and a very, very confused expression on his face.

 

* * *

 

He wasn’t used to it being this warm in October. Where he lived, it got cold in September and stayed frozen until mid-April. Sometimes even later than that; Percy remembered a freak ice storm hitting in the first week of April, effectively halting Spring’s approach in her tracks. 

But here, he was one of the few wearing a jacket. A long jacket with too many pockets that was more of a shield than anything else. A shield against the wind and the rest of the world, too.

They came to Emon for three reasons: One; It was far enough away from where they grew up they that could (hypothetically) be free from reminders of their parents and of their respective foster homes. Or lack thereof, in Percy’s case. Two; It was one of the few Universities who let Percy transfer his credits. All of them. Meaning he could actually graduate in a few months. Three; It was warm.

This was Cassandra’s requirement.

Percy wasn’t sure how he felt about it. Or about the University, to be quite honest. They reported small class sizes but right now, the lawn in the center of campus seemed like a bustling city street. And he had no idea where he needed to go. With a sigh, Percy checked his schedule again. Vysoren, Allura. Advanced Theory of Sorcery. It was one of the hardest classes available, and it was so fucking early, he was surprised anyone even looked awake. There could not be this many people taking Advanced Theory -

“You seem lost,” a voice interrupted his thoughts. Percy looked up, eyes wide behind his glasses. “You aren’t a first-year, are you?” The man had the slightly pointed of ears of elven heritage though they weren’t nearly pointed enough to be pure blooded. Half-elf? He also had a long braid on his shoulder, hair black and sleek. Percy couldn’t seem to place his accent but, well, he wasn’t from around here, either. He wondered where he was from, who his parents were to get those ears and - and his eyes - well. They were, ah. Hm.

“Sorry, what?” Percy asked, realizing too late that the young man had said something else. A blush began to crawl up his neck. 

“I asked if you were lost,” he repeated, mouth tipping up into a frankly maddening smirk. “Are you?”

“Um, yes. Well, no - I promise I’m not a first-year.” He said this in a rush, swallowing. “I, ah, transferred.”

“So you are lost?” he asked, taking a step closer, still smirking. 

“Well, maybe -” he swallowed, tongue flickering out to wet his lips. Was this flirting? He wasn’t sure. 

“What’s your name?” the man asked, somehow closer. Percy blinked, rapidly, his heart hammering in his chest. 

“Uh, um -” His name. Oh, god, what was his name? What was his actual name? Percival von - no. Percy Fred - ah fuck fuck fu -

“I’m Vax,” the other said, eyebrow quirking. He apparently realised that Percy wasn’t going to be able to say a word for awhile. “Well?”

“Percival Fredrickstein Von Musel Klossowski de Rolo III.” The name was said in a rush, a mixture of syllables all mashed together in a single breath. He waited. When Vax only looked highly amused instead of put-off, he was able to speak again. “But you can call me Percy.”

“Percival,” Vax said instead, causing a blush to rise in Percy’s cheeks. When Vax took his hand and brushed his lips over his knuckles, the blush only deepened. “Pleasure to meet you.”

 

* * *

 

From a few feet away, the strange trio of tall, willowy half-elf Keyleth and the shorter gnomes Pike and Scanlan had stopped, staring. 

“Have you ever seen him talking to anyone besides his sister?” Pike whispered, still staring as Vax seemed to be stepping closer. She glanced up and saw Keyleth blushing but just as unable to tear her gaze away as she was.

“Well, Kiki, it seems your chances with either of them have gone out the window,” Scanlan snorted though he was also fixated on the pair. “Is he - oh my god.”

The three gave a collective gasp as Vax took the man’s hand and kissed it. He looked up, still holding the stranger’s hand, and then - 

“Vax’ildan! Vax! We are going to be late!” Vex’ahlia’s voice broke the spell and caused Vax to drop his hand. Did He look almost - sheepish? Regretful? As he moved away, all but disappearing entirely.

“Well, there’s our chance,” Scanlan said, pulling the women forward, despite their urgent, if quiet, protests. “Excuse me, sir?” he shouted, huffing as he had to look up to meet the taller man’s gaze. “You seem lost.”

“I must seem very lost,” he said quietly, glancing at Pike and Keyleth as well. “You’re the second person to tell me that.”

“The first being the tall, dark, handsome cinnamon roll of se - ow!” he hopped up and down as Pike’s heel met his toe, glaring. 

“We just wanted to see if we could help,” Keyleth said quickly, letting go of Scanlan’s hand with a series of awkward gestures. “You know, help you get there. Not help with Vax,” she added quickly, eyes going wide. “He’s - um.” She stopped, smiling gently. “Can we help you? At all?”

Percy stared for a moment before shrugging. If he was going to be here, maybe it wouldn’t be such a bad idea to make a few - acquaintances. Not friends. Cassandra won the heat round, she didn’t get to win the friends round. “Do you know where Professor Allura’s class is?” 

Scanlan grinned. “Oh, do we ever.”

 

* * *

 

Being a teacher would forever be Allura’s favourite occupation. Oh, she’d worked for kings and governments, researching enchantments and solving problems of politics. But walking into a room full of students, all ready to learn, well, that was something with just a little more reward for it. At least in her opinion. And her opinion happened to be right most of the time. Highly regarded, in fact.

“Good morning, class,” she said as he swept into the room, coffee in hand and hair set in a pair of perfect braids. She set the coffee on her table and stood, hands on her hips. “I see we have a few new faces with us today.”

It was always interesting to watch her students, particularly the ones who were willing to wake up and come to this class so early in the morning. 

Of course, there was the solid group of five. A rag-tag bunch of misfits, as some of the other professors had described them. You could rarely find one without another and more often than not they were all together as a united five. Allura was rather fond of them, actually, despite the antics of a few of the more, ah, rambunctious members. They were all bright, in their own way, and each had unmatched skills that complemented each other beautifully. Just watching them tugged at something in the back of her head, but she always brushed it off. She’d read so many tomes and novels, it was hard to tell what was fact and fiction, sometimes.

And then, there were the twins, along with Vex’s massive dog who always waited faithfully outside every classroom door. They kept to themselves, whispering in a corner and never quite socialising with anyone else. 

And today there was -

“Percival Fredrickstein Von Musel Klossowski de Rolo III,” he answered as he was asked to say his name.

“But you can call him Percy,” a surprising voice chimed in, prompting stares from not only his sister but also from a number of the others as well. Though, Keyleth, Pike and Scanlan were very purposefully not looking at them. Vax only shrugged, slumping into his chair again at the sight of Allura’s raised eyebrow.

“Percy, then,” Allura said, hiding her smile behind her mug of coffee. “Well, welcome, Percy. I’m not sure how much you’ve been told, but I promise it won’t be all that bad.”

“I took quite a bit of theory while in Whitestone, ma’am,” he answered, blushing almost immediately. He adjusted his glasses, flustered. “Ah, um. That is - I’m sure I’ll be able to keep up.”

There was most definitely a glint in her eye as she nodded. “I’m sure you will.”

 

* * *

 

The walk out of the classroom was filled with glances and weird looks though not all of them were thrown at Percy. Keyleth caught him by the arm as a tiny red-head - one of Pike’s dancer friends, maybe? - stopped him at the door and began to accost him with questions. As he was dragged away, a slip of paper with a phone number on it made its way to his hand. Unsure of what to do with it, Percy let the wind catch it. Maybe she wouldn’t notice.

“You had an interesting first class,” she said, letting go of him once they were safely away from the crowds of people. “Do you feel better?”

“I feel - confused,” he adjusted his glasses, shrugging. “I guess I’ll get used to it. Is it always this hectic?”

“Always,” Keyleth assured him, patting his arm. “A few of us are going to the library to study. Pike and Grog have another class, but Tibs, Scanlan and I were going to -”

“Percival,” a voice interrupted her. The pair both looked up to find Vax standing a few feet away, shoulders slumped forward and his hands in his pockets. Long hair was swept over his shoulders though a few strands had fallen out around his face. “Keyleth,” he nodded at the young woman, causing more dark hair to fall. “Do you mind if I -”

“No, not at all,” she squeaked, practically pushing Percy forward and backing away. “Library, as soon as you can,” she reminded him though he couldn’t remember actually agreeing to go. “Oh! Actually, Vax,” she reached her hands out before taking them back quickly, tucking them behind her back. “Scanlan has a show tonight, and we were wondering if you and your sister would like to -”

“We don’t often frequent clubs,” he interrupted, tossing his head. Percy almost snorted. 

“It’s at the Keep, actually,” she continued carefully. “Will you come? Vex is welcome, of course, anyone is. Though maybe not the dog,” she added carefully as a booming bark could be heard from across the lawn. 

“Vax! What the bloody hell are you doing?” The shout was answered by a dismissive hand.

“Maybe,” he answered before turning to Percy. “I just - wanted to say hello. Properly. Welcome to Emon.”

Keyleth, for her part, blinked in surprise and began backing away. The Twins never talked to anyone on campus, much less newcomers. She was beginning to wonder if Scanlan’s suspicions didn’t actually have some validity. Was it a prank? A trick? Some terrible bet to see who could break the most hearts?

“Oh, well, thank you,” Percy said, adjusting his glasses a little awkwardly. “It’s appreciated.”

“If you ever need anything, ah, well, I’m sure you won’t but -” he shrugged before stepping closer and slipping something into the pocket of Percy’s jacket. Keyleth looked away, studying the trees on the lawn. Healthy, strong - wait, was Vax’ildan flustered? 

The other man held his breath, eyes going wider. “Just in case,” the half-elf whispered, lips tipping up into a smile.

And then - he was gone. Percy was left in the middle of the lawn, staring after two nearly identical figures and a massive dog. He wasn’t able to look away until after Vax had looked over his shoulder and winked.

“He - tends to do that,” a voice said from behind him, startling him out of his rather rude staring. 

“What?” he turned, noticing Keyleth for the first time since Vax had stepped so bloody close.

“Disappear, um, tease?” she grimaced a bit, glancing away. “Not to say that it isn’t entirely genuine, it -”

“He does that a lot, then?” he asked, trying very hard to hide the disappointment. Had he expected something else? No. Had he even wanted anything else, with a sister still in high school to take care of and a degree to finish and -

“No,” she shook her head. “The Twins keep to themselves, mostly. Vax is a little more outgoing, but he’s never given out a number or spent more than five seconds on a pretty face. I’ve never seen them so attentive. The closest they’ve gotten is when Grog is shirtless, Vex tends to stare.”

“Oh,” he blinked, swallowing. Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out a piece of paper. With a phone number. 

“Are you . . .” she trailed off, looking at him carefully, not sure if she should say something or leave him be.

“You said something about a library?” he asked, tucking the paper back into his pocket. “Let’s go.”

 

* * *

 

“What was that?” Vex hissed as her brother finally tore his gaze away from the new kid. Percival Whatever Super Long Bullshit Name. Yes, she did have a perfect memory, thank you. She smacked her hand over his head, causing him to stumble and scowl. “Answer me.”

“Are you jealous, sister?” he asked, sneering. She rolled her eyes, clearly annoyed. Vex opened her mouth, ready to tell him off with very colourful language, but he held up a hand, cutting her off. “Am I not allowed to have friends?”

“We have friends,” she defended. He scoffed, rolling his eyes. “We do!”

“Who?” he challenged as they reached the bike racks, leaning his hand against the cold metal. “Who are our friends?”

“Well, there’s that man from the coffee shop -” a snort. “The woman at the bookshop, the boy, oh what’s his name -”

“We don’t have friends,” he interrupted, taking her by the shoulders. “They are people we see once a week, maybe. We’ve been here long enough, don’t you think? To trust that nothing more could possibly happen?”

“Now you’ve just jinxed it,” she grumbled, shrugging out of his hands. Trinket whined and Vex threaded her fingers through the thick fur at his neck, scratching. He could always tell when they were fighting, or sick, or upset. He was kind of great at that sort of thing. “We’ve never needed friends before,” she challenged. “At the group home, we didn’t have anyone, just us. I don’t see why that needs to change.”

“We aren’t children anymore, Stumpy,” he sighed, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. “Uni is almost over, and then what? Do you even know what you want to do for the rest of your life? I don’t. I definitely don’t.”

“But we don’t have to,” she insisted, taking his hands and squeezing. “We have each other.”

“You know that isn’t always going to be enough, Vex’ahlia,” he shook his head, taking his back gently. In order to avoid her eyes, he knelt and began to unlock his bike. Vex didn’t move, just watched him. 

“You like him,” she said, half-realisation and half-accusatory. “You actually like him.”

“I think he’s -” he paused. “One of us. Don’t ask how.”

“Please, he obviously comes from money,” she argued. “Did you see that jacket? The glasses with the weird things? Money, he screams it.”

“He screams lonely,” he said, standing up with the coil in his hands. “And abandoned. Like us. I mean, did you see that jacket?”

“It isn’t the same,” she shook her head. “There’s a difference between lonely and abandoned with a roof over your head and lonely and abandoned on the streets.”

“You’re right,” he shrugged. “But don’t you think it would be nice to have someone who understood, at least, a little?”

“I understand,” she threw out her hands. “Me. Your sister.”

“Vex,” he closed his eyes, squeezing the bridge of his nose. 

“But that’s not enough,” she rolled her eyes. “Right?”

“We’re not children,” he repeated. “One day, we need to face that. Part of that is not relying on each other so much. How are we supposed to live apart, have families, be -”

“Alone?” she asked, kneeling and unlocking her own bike, though with far less grace and calmness than she usually had. It took awhile for her to realise her hands were shaking. “Abandoned?”

“I will never abandon you,” he said, dropping his bag and the coil to the ground. He knelt next to Vex and grabbed her hands, forcing her to look at him. “Listen to me. I will never abandon you,” he squeezed her hands hard enough to turn them white but she didn’t flinch. “Not for a single moment. But yes, I like him.” He shrugged. “He’s - interesting. Different. Handsome,” he smirked and Vex was able to pull her hand out of his grasp to smack his shoulder. “I like him,” the last sentence was almost too soft to hear, but Vex heard. She heard and she sighed and she finally loosened her shoulders. 

“I guess I’d better not beat your face in with a shoe, then,” she said, sounding genuinely regretful. Vax snorted, then huffed, then laughed out loud. And his sister joined him. Other students passed by, collecting bikes or going to class. They stared at the two half-elves laughing so hard they could hardly breathe, curling around each other on the ground, with a massive dog dancing around them and barking. 

“Those twins are weird.”

 

* * *

The library wasn’t anywhere near silent.

Groups of students were gathered at different tables, flipping through textbooks and typing on laptops. They regularly shouted back and forth at each other. The librarian, a short woman with dark blonde hair pulled back into a severe ponytail looked completely unfazed by the noise. Though she seemed unforgiving, she could often be found helping students with a gentle hand and a firm word to not damage the books.

Nearly everyone adored her. Tiberius was suspicious of the amount of time she spent in Allura’s office. 

“Tiberius, Scanlan,” Keyleth said as she stepped up to the table already claimed for them. “This is Percy, remember? We met him this morning.”

“Oh, yes, the one with the funny name,” Scanlan greeted. He nearly fell out of his chair as the wood shifted suddenly. “Damn it, Kiki.”

“Be nice,” she said firmly, manhandling Percy into the chair across from Tiberius. The young man raised his head from his book, dark eyes looking over his spectacles. They narrowed for a moment and Percy felt a great number of apprehensions. 

“I’m Tiberius Stormwind,” he said finally, reaching a hand out across the table. 

“From Draconia,” Scanlan added, smirking as his fingers strummed at the strings of his guitar. 

“Mr. Shorthalt,” a voice said from across the room. Scanlan looked up as Kima stared at him. “If you start playing that instrument in here, I expect to have a cut of your profits.”

“Of course, my lady,” he said, strumming harder on the instrument. “Anything for a pretty face.”

“I’ve upped it to thirty percent.”

“What was it before?”

Kima only shrugged and returned to her computer, small fingers typing away. 

Percy blinked and realised that Tiberius was still holding out his hand, eyebrows raised but eyes dancing with amusement. When he shook the other man’s hand, Percy felt scales against his skin. 

“Dragonborn,” he explained in a whisper, almost conspiratorial. Percy blushed, glancing down, clearly embarrassed. 

“Ah, yes, I - guessed,” he shrugged.

“You’d be surprised how many think I’m merely half-lizard,” Tiberius snorted, derisively. 

“You are half-lizard,” Scanlan supplied, tipping his head over his chair to grin at him. 

“Thank you, Scanlan, I appreciate it,” Tiberius answered, placing two fingers in the center of the gnome’s forehead and pushing down until his chair tipped. 

“Hey, watch out for Spike Lightfoot,” Scanlan yelped, cradling the guitar carefully. 

Percy tilted his head, confusion making his eyebrows draw together. “Spike - what?”

“The guitar,” Keyleth said, looking up from her own book for the first time since she arrived. “She’s named after Pike. The other gnome of the group.”

“She is not named after Pike,” Scanlan argued, sputtering and red-faced. “She is named after -”

“Pike, oh my goodness, hi! I thought you had class?” Keyleth said suddenly, looking over Scanlan’s shoulder. Percy looked and saw . . . no one. 

Scanlan scrambled to his feet, standing on the chair and strumming excitedly. “Pike? Pike, my darling, have you -?” The grin on his face faded as the other snickered into their sleeves. “I hate all of you,” he said as he flopped down. 

“Don’t be so down, Scanlan,” Tiberius patted his shoulder, returning to his book. “She’ll be at Greyskull Keep tonight.”

“What’s that?” Percy asked as Scanlan brightened visibly, even going so far as to begin writing a song for Pike on the spot.

“It’s - oh. How do you describe the Keep?” she asked, biting her cheek. “It’s like - all the best bits of a coffee shop, a bakery, a pastry shop, and an inn all rolled into one.”

“With a kinky dungeon underneath,” Scanlan winked. 

“That’s a rumour and absolutely false,” Keyleth said immediately, glaring at him. “Scanlan is playing there tonight. His first solo run after leaving the band.”

“Dr. Drones -”

“Dranzel’s.”

“Spectacular Traveling Troupe,” Tiberius rolled his eyes. “Not that they travel much.”

“Why did you leave?” Percy asked, stopping Scanlan from launching at Tiberius. The gnome huffed, strumming his guitar defiantly as he sat back down. 

“Our wants differed.”

“They wouldn’t let him write Pike love songs anymore,” Keyleth supplied in a whisper. Scanlan made a high-pitched, highly offended sound in the back of his throat. The half-elf only shrugged. “It’s true.”

“Regardless,” Scanlan huffed. “I will be performing tonight. Lucky you. Bring your friends.”

“Can I bring my sister?” he asked. Everyone stopped and looked up, staring. Percy sank lower in his chair, nearly sliding to the ground before Keyleth gripped his collar and hauled him up into sitting position.

“A sister?” she asked, voice soft but undeniably excited. “He has a sister.”

“Here we go,” Tiberius rolled his eyes, though he, too, looked intrigued for all of five seconds before returning to his book. 

“Kiki’s been wanting another female member of the gang for ages.”

“I want a friend you haven’t slept with yet,” she countered, raising an eyebrow. Scanlan opened his mouth to argue but found no rebuttal on his tongue. His expression crumpled to one of thoughtfulness before he shrugged.

“Fair enough.”

“Actually, I should -” Percy glanced at the clock, standing and sort of awkwardly hovering. “I should go. I promised to have lunch with her today. Or, well.”

“Go,” Keyleth waved him off. “We’ll see you tonight?”

Percy nodded, bowing slightly before rushing out of the library. 

“Strange bloke,” Tiberius remarked, not looking up from his book. “A bit pale.”

“I like him,” Keyleth said, tilting her head as she watched him go. Scanlan was silent for a moment, then - 

“Do you think his sister’s hot?”

The chair dumped him out onto the floor.

Keyleth had to fix his guitar.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I can not express how much the support so far has meant to me. I did not expect this to be so received so quickly and I believe that the speed with which I was able to write and edit this chapter was a large part of that. Thank you so much to everyone who is reading and commenting and sending such kind messages. 
> 
> Remember, you can send messages, prompts, and art requests at alizarintea.tumblr.com! See you there!


	3. Wednesday Night Fever

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Drama seems inevitable when a brooding half-elf is added to a mix of music, drinking, and a lot of chairs.

The cafe he took Cassandra to was busier than any cafe he’d encountered in Whitestone. Percy sighed as yet another patron jostled his chair, causing Cassandra to smile from around her mug of tea.

“Rough morning?” she asked, stealing one of his fries. He pushed the plate toward her, crossing his arms on the table. The question actually gave him pause. The grumpy answer on his tongue faded before it could make its way past his lips. Rough morning? Was that the right word? Well, it had been -

“No, actually,” he sounded surprised. “It was . . . unexpected.” Percy shrugged, picking up his coffee and took a long sip, raising an eyebrow at Cassandra. “How was your morning? Are classes going well? No bullies I need to come after with a shotgun? I will, you know. I will commit murder for you.”

“Fine. Yes. No. Definitely not.” Cassie watched him, eyes narrowing. “Now who did you meet?” She set her tea down, staring Percy down.

“I met a lot of people,” he rolled his eyes. “The Sorcery professor, Vysoren, is brilliant. Apparently all the students are in love with her -”

“Unless you plan on having a relationship with your professor, I don’t want to know about Vysoren,” she countered. Cassandra sighed as Percy took another sip of coffee and ignored her. Again. “I’m serious, Percival. Who did you meet?”

“A lot of people,” he repeated honestly though she could tell he was hedging the question. With a sigh, Percy lowered the cup of coffee and met his sister’s eyes, looking for all the world like the most exasperated puppy on the planet. “There’s this - group of people, I guess. None of whom I plan on being in a relationship with, so I guess you don’t want to hear about them, either,” he smirked.

“Don’t be a tease,” she rolled her eyes.

“I didn’t meet anyone special,” he shrugged, leaning back in his chair, legs crossing. A tell. “I’m serious, Cassie. It’s only the first day, who could I have possibly met?” That is unless you counted a young man with dark hair and darker eyes who was an insatiable flirt -

“You’re lying to me,” she pointed her spoon at him, a single drop of tea landing on the table. He stared at it instead of looking up at his sister. He wondered if the drop would stain the pale tabletop, if they would come back here and he would be able to see it. If he’d even remember this conversation at all in a week or two. Cassie would no doubt remember every word, but wouldn’t say anything. Would they come here when his flirtation inevitably ends? When will the mysterious half-elf realise just how normal Percy is?

“Shouldn’t we be going back soon?” he asked. “You only have an hour.”

“Then I’ll tell them my idiot brother made me late,” she smirked triumphantly. “And as my guardian -”

“You’re eighteen -”

“I’m in high school. Which means you are technically my guardian,” she stuck the spoon in her mouth. Percy began fiddling with the buttons at his wrist. They were large, textured. They were one of his favourite things about this coat. They were easy to fiddle with when his hands needed something to do. It wasn’t until Cassie cleared her throat with a pointed eyebrow that he finally raised his eyes. She wasn’t going to let this go. Ever. She got it from their father. Oh, but he was _not_ going down that road today.

“Fine,” he relented. Percy leaned his elbows on the table and dragging fingers through his hair. If he convinced her to go to school again, she’d just needle him all night, even through the performance Oh, he needed to ask about that. It probably wasn’t even a good idea to go, was it? They were new, Cassandra hadn’t met them yet. And all of them together were a bit overwhelming, even for him.

“Percival,” his sister interrupted his thoughts with a gentle nudge to his foot. “Don’t go anywhere yet, we’re in the middle of a very serious conversation.”

“His name is Vax’ildan. Vax,” he let out a long breath, raising his head to meet his sister’s curious gaze. “Half-elf. Dark, mysterious, exactly my type,” he snorted. Of course he was, it was inevitable, wasn’t it? “He has a sister. And a dog.”

This was a mistake. As soon as he uttered the word ‘sister’, Cassandra’s blue eyes had gone large and bright. She clapped her hands together and gave the highest-pitch squeal he had ever heard. And yes, he had been there for the Jonas Brother phase. This was even worse.

“A sister?” she asked, somehow getting more excited as Percy nodded. “A _dog_?”

“I think the dog is the sister’s,” he amended. “It follows her around everywhere. It’s huge. Like, massive.”

“How did you meet? Are you in a class together? Is he cute?”

Percy glanced at the clock, lips twitching. “I answered your question,” he said, taking out a wad of bills from his wallet. “Now it’s time to go.”

The questions didn’t stop on the way to the high school, but Percy refused to answer any of them. When Cassie got out of the car, she stopped. Leaning in, her face was almost completely obscured by long blonde hair. It looked like their mother’s. Almost the exact same shade as Percy’s.

“I told you it’d be a good year,” she smirked before slamming the door behind her. Percy watched as Cassandra walked inside, catching sight of a few girls waiting for her. It seemed he wasn’t the only one who had made friends today. If only it were all that easy.

 

* * *

 

By the time they got to the Keep, it was dark. And cold, which both Scanlan and Tiberius decided to complain about endlessly. Keyleth bit back her own remark about Grog seeming perfectly capable of walking around practically shirtless. Instead, she looped an arm through Pike’s, smiling gently at her friends.

“Do you think they’ll come?” she asked softly, slowing her pace as they fell behind the group of scrabbling boys. Grog had Scanlan’s guitar held high above his head as Tiberius produced little tornados to keep him back. The gnome’s shouts could be heard down the block. “The Twins? Percy?”

“I don’t know,” Pike said, completely serene and honest. Keyleth took a breath. It’s what she needed, Pike’s ability to stay grounded. She had no idea how the gnome did it. “What will you do if they come?”

“What I always do,” she answered, tossing red hair behind her shoulder. “Make a fool of myself, of course.”

The ringing laughter from the women distracted the rest of the group enough to pause just outside the doors to the Keep. All three men wore identical expressions of confusion as they turned, but Scanlan was the one to recover the fastest.

“Ah ha!” he yelled out as he grabbed ahold of the guitar and plucked it from Grog’s hands. His smile dimmed as he realised that he was holding onto Grog shirt. “It isn’t a shirt,” Keyleth had corrected as Grog and Pike walked into the library two hours earlier. “It’s a bro tank.” His feet dangled a good three feet from the ground.

“Um. Hey, buddy.” The smile he offered was nervous and shaky as Grog looked down at where Scanlan was holding onto him. And then he looked up to his face - it was really more of a flick of his eyes, there wasn’t much distance to cover. His top lip started to draw back and Scanlan honestly thought about dropping the five feet to the ground.

“Don’t break him,” Pike said as she passed, laying one gentle hand on Grog’s arm. The Goliath immediately softened and let Scanlan down without getting a poke in the eye. “Thank you, Grog.”

“Pike, my darling lady,” Scanlan sang as he spun around. His fingers were already moving over the guitar. “You have saved my life!”

“It won’t be the last time, I’m sure,” Tiberius said as he ushered them into the pub. He looked more like an exasperated babysitter than anything else. The Keep was at unusual buzz for a Wednesday night. Scanlan had actually grumbled about that when he was handed the Wednesday night slot.

“It’s like those pink hot dogs you find at concession stands,” he’d wrinkled his nose. “Disgusting.”

“But your playing is like gourmet mustard,” Pike had chimed in, causing Scanlan to blink. “It makes the pink hot dog kind of okay.”

Needless to say, Scanlan had found it very difficult to complain for the rest of the month.

Now, the group was making their way to the front of the cafe, where a short stage had been raised. Posters of bands and solo artists from the area adorned the walls. They were separated only by billboards of photos, flyers, and announcements for local events. The five of them claimed a table at the corner of the stage and immediately drinks appeared in front of them.

“Green tea with lemon; hot chocolate, extra whip; Irish coffee; soy vanilla latte; black coffee, extra espresso, shot of vodka.” A red Tiefling with white hair and a long tail set the drinks in front of Pike, Tiberius, Scanlan, Keyleth, and Grog respectively. She stood with the tray braced against her hip, lips tilting up into a smile as he straightened. Scanlan definitely wasn’t looking at her smile, though. “Anything else for you all?”

“Um, I don’t think we ordered yet,” Pike said. Her expression was confused as she glanced around at her friends. They all shook their heads, looking just as bewildered. Grog and Scanlan, however, were already downing their drinks. The waitress - Zahra - immediately set down two glasses for each of them.

“Someone did,” the woman shrugged before turning to go back to the counter. Her tail flicked in Keyleth’s direction as she winked.

“Did anyone call ahead?” Keyleth asked as she wrapped her hands around the latte. Scanlan took a long drink of his Irish coffee before jumping off his chair.

“Oh, who cares?” he rolled his eyes. “I play in fifteen minutes and we have free drinks.” He set the guitar case on the table, each member of the party scrambling to move their drinks out of the way. Looking like a kid on Christmas, Scanlan extracted the guitar from the case and brought it up on stage. He and Tiberius tinkered with the microphone until it was on and working. Tiberius lowered it to Scanlan’s height as he hauled himself up onto the chair.

Performing was what Scanlan did best. Other than sex, of course.

“Good evening, Emon!” he said as he began to tune the guitar, strumming as his fingers twisted the knobs back and forth. It was always best to do this part beforehand. Crack some jokes, connect with the audience. It usually made the night go by smoother.

“I don’t think they’re coming,” Pike whispered to Keyleth as she caught her roommate staring at the door. The half-elf blinked, blushed, and then nodded into her coffee.

“I was hoping that at least Percy would,” she sighed. “He said he might.”

“Maybe we’re intimidating,” Tiberius chimed in, grinning through his whip-mustache. Keyleth snorted, raising an eyebrow. “What?”

“You are easily the most intimidating of us all, Tibs,” Pike assured him, reaching across the table to pat his hand. The Dragonborn preened as his back straightened.

“Why, thank you, Pike.”

“Hey, what about me?” Grog demanded, slamming his sizable cup on the table. He let out a long burp, interrupting Scanlan in the middle of a joke.

“This is why we don’t take him out very often. We need to keep him on a chain,” Scanlan whispered into the mic. Grog scowled at the gnome, eyes narrowing. “Anyway -”

“See, Grog? Very intimidating,” Pike said, hiding her smile in her tea. Grog relaxed, settling back into his chair.

“Yeah, I am.”

“Oh, look!” Keyleth grabbed Pike’s arm, nearly sending her cup flying. Carefully, the gentle young woman set down her cup and looked up in time to see Percy and another woman in the doorway.

“My, my, Percival, who have you brought with you tonight?” Scanlan asked from the stage. Percy’s eyes flicked over to him and then immediately blushed. He caught sight of the others as they moved to grab more chairs. “Such a charming young lady deserves better, I’m sure.”

“Scanlan!” Pike hissed, glaring. “Don’t embarrass him.”

Scanlan set down his guitar and took the mic from the stand, making his way to the edge of the stage. “My lady, I do hope you will find it in your heart to abandon such a lost cause.” Keyleth glanced at Percy as he settled into a chair next to Tiberius, nervous of how he would react to Scanlan. Who was she? The illustrious sister? A girlfriend? “My name is Scanlan Shorthalt and I must say, your beauty is rivaled only by the illustrious Pike.” A small snort sounded to Keyleth’s left and she grinned at her friend.

Scanlan held out his hand. “And your name?”

The young woman flicked gorgeous blond hair across one shoulder and took the gnome’s hand. “Cassandra Johanna von Musel Klossowski de Rolo.”

“But you can call her Cassandra,” her brother chimed in, smirking. Keyleth and Pike both giggled into their drinks, their hands going to cover their mouths.

“Your - your sister?” Scanlan squeaked, his laugh becoming nervous though he hadn’t let go of Cassandra’s hand yet.

“My sister who is still in high school, yes.” Somehow, his smirk widened.

As if her hand had burst into flames, Scanlan immediately retreated back to the safety of his stool and his guitar. He attempted to replace the mic into the stand, struggling. “How about some music instead?”

The clapping was louder than the laughter. Apparently Scanlan had done a good job of warming up the crowd.

Cassandra sat next to Percy, face redder than before as she began absentmindedly braiding her hair. “Well, that was interesting. I did not expect to be introduced like that. Um, hi, I’m Cassandra.”

The others each introduced themselves, keeping their voices down as Scanlan began his set. At least, that was what it sounded like.

“And I’m Tiberius Stormwind,” he leaned across Percy to shake her hand. “From Draconia.”

“Pleasure to meet you all,” she said, patting Percy’s shoulder. “He told me he made friends, I didn’t think there’d be so many.”

“There’s more to come,” Pike said mysteriously. Percy glanced at her, confused, but she changed the subject. “Oh, Percy, did you meet Grog?”

“Huh?” The goliath tore his eyes away from Scanlan, jaw a little slack. “What said my name?”

“Did you meet Percy yet, Grog?” Tiberius asked, gesturing to the man beside him. He raised a hand in greeting.

“Oh. No. Hi,” Grog nodded at him before going back to staring at his friend, laughing as at the lyrics.

“Grog is on the rugby team,” Pike supplied. “Actually, he’s playing this weekend. Do you think you two could come?”

“I would love to,” Cassandra said before Percy could answer. He sighed, opening his mouth to at least make up a way to get out of it if needed. Before he could, however, he was rather rudely interrupted.

“I think that would be a splendid idea, don’t you, sister?”

The entire table swiveled to see the Twins standing right behind them. Percy looked up, blinking. Vex had her arms crossed over her chest and was missing her dog. A glance outside told Keyleth that the beast was settled just outside the doors of the Keep.

“We haven’t even been invited yet,” she said, elbowing her brother.

“Oh, of course you’re invited,” Keyleth said quickly. “Um, here, come sit -”

“Excuse me,” Vax dragged a chair between Percy and Tiberius, causing the Dragonborn to sputter. Tibs opened his mouth, supposedly to say something uncouth, but Keyleth kicked his shin. Hot chocolate spilled over his hand and he became more occupied with cleaning that up than with Vax. It didn’t stop him from glaring at Keyleth, however.

“Hi,” Grog said as Vex sat down on the other side of Keyleth, eyeing her brother.

“Hello, Grog,” she said with a smile, a dark braid flicking over her shoulder.

“I’m Grog,” he said again as he drained the rest of his drink. He burped again, grinning at Vex. She nodded, laughing.

“Fancy meeting you here,” Vax said to Percy. The rest of the table immediately fell quiet. Cassandra’s eyebrow raised questioningly.

“I thought you didn’t socialise with the rabble,” Percy answered, adjusting his glasses.

“Darling, I am the rabble.” A choking sound from across the made both men look up. Keyleth was blushing a bright red as she coughed into her sleeve. Pike patted her on the back as Vex smirked beside her.

“At least he’s honest,” she said, the braid falling behind her shoulder again. Her gaze drifted to Cassandra, who blushed. “I don’t think I’ve met you.”

Her lips twitched. “Cassandra Johanna von Musel Klossowski de Rolo,” she answered, watching as two identical sets of eyebrows rose.

“Another one,” Vex grinned. “How many are you?”

“Seven,” Cassandra answered without thinking. Percy stiffened beside her. “Ah, actually, it’s -”

“Just us,” her brother said, jovial expression gone. “Excuse me.” Long coat swirling, he stood up and walked to the door. Cassandra swore quietly and followed, hair fluttering behind her.

Scanlan had changed songs. This one was a love ballad, crooning about sunlight and church bells. In other words - Pike.

“What did you do?” Vax demanded, leaning across the table.

“I asked a question, brother,” she huffed. “What did _you_ do?”

Vax was silent for a moment before he stood up and followed after the de Rolo’s. Muttering under her breath, Vex followed. The others watched, afraid to say anything as they all stormed out. Trinket stood and began barking as Vax passed. His cloak almost caused him to disappear into the dark.

“And now, I guess here’s Wonderwall.”

 

* * *

 

Percival was pacing along an alley wall when Cassandra found him. His fingers were twitching, dragging through his hair and generally moving nonstop. His sister watched for a few moments before stepping forward and taking hold of his hands. When he tried to jerk away, she held fast. Even as he stilled, Percy refused to look up at her.

“You can’t do this anymore,” she whispered. He shook his head, blond hair bright as the moon came out from behind a cloud. “It was ten years ago, Percy -”

“When you’re eight, that seems like so long,” he countered, finally twisting out of her grip. He leaned against the wall, hands dragging through his hair. This time, Cassie didn’t stop him. “But when you’re fourteen? Yeah, it’s a little different.”

“Sometimes it feels like it happened yesterday,” she whispered. “And sometimes a century ago. But that’s not the point, Percival,” she dug her hands into the pockets of her coat. “The point is - it’s over. We aren’t children anymore,” she ignored his snort and pointed look. “And we can’t just throw a temper tantrum every time they are brought up.”

“You didn’t have to bring them up!” he shouted, making his sister wince as his voice echoed. “You could have told the truth - it’s only us.”

“I didn’t mean to hurt you,” she defended. “But their deaths do not make them any less real, Percy. They exist, too.”

“No, they don’t,” he countered. “They’re dead.”

“You don’t think of them at all?” her question was soft, almost hurt. Percy sighed through his nose, leaning his head back against the wall. The moon was pretty though now it was starting to creep back behind dark clouds. Not quite full yet, but close. Pieces were missing, tiny slivers keeping it from being entirely whole. “Percy.”

“Of course I think of them,” he shrugged. “But there isn’t a point to it. They’re gone.”

“Not if you keep them with you,” she said, crossing the alley to where he stood. This time, he let her take his hands in hers and then pull him into a hug. “They aren’t dead until we forget them. I won’t ever forget.” She paused. “Will you?”

Percy hesitated for just a moment before shaking his head, drawing her head down onto his chest. “No. No, of course not.”

 

* * *

 

“Are you an absolute idiot or have you been drinking again?” Vex demanded when they were safely out of earshot of anyone outside the Keep. “You’re only this stupid when you start drinking.”

“I haven’t been drinking,” he rolled his eyes. “Why did you ask that?”

“It was a responsible question,” she defended, hands flying into the air. Even her braid looked agitated. “We have never even seen these people before and the I-have-the-longest-name-in-history de Rolos keep popping up all over the place.” She crossed her arms over her chest. “I saw you whispering to him; what did you ask?”

“I didn’t say anything,” he rolled his eyes, turning away from her and pressing his palm to the rough brick of the wall. “I didn’t get a chance.”

“And then you stormed out like you were the one offended,” she huffed. “Like the most overdramatic child -”

“I am not a child -”

“Then stop acting like one,” she shook her head. “You want friends? Stop playing games. Stop yanking me around like a fucking dog on a chain while you’re at it.”

“You didn’t even want this,” he said, turning and raising an eyebrow at her.

“Well, maybe I like socialising with people who aren’t completely infuriating,” she shot back, sneering. He stuck his tongue out at his twin, nose wrinkling. “They’re - not half bad. But you need to see that instead of making googly eyes at the new kid all the time.”

“I doubt I’ll get much of a chance to make any sort of eyes at him after this,” he sighed, slumping against the wall. Vex’s mouth twisted to one side and she patted his arm.

“On the bright side?” she smirked as Vax raised his head. “The moment he saw you, I’m pretty sure he melted a bit.”

Vax rolled his eyes and caught his sister in a headlock. That is until she hooked her foot around his ankle and knocked them both to the ground. Their laughter echoed through the night until they were both out of breath.

 

* * *

 

Vax and Vex returned first, with the de Rolos following soon after. By that point, Scanlan had finished his set and fit himself into the crowded table. His face was smitten as Pike told him what a good job he had done. Grog’s loud voice was complimenting every woman who walked by.

“Honestly, how do you even get women to sleep with you?” Tiberius asked as yet another slip of paper dropped in front of Grog. “How?”

“It’s the rugby, I’m sure,” Vax said as he quietly slipped into his chair. Vex returned to Keyleth’s side, who looked questioningly at both of them. To her surprise, Vex actually smiled at her. “Muscles.”

“And my incredible charm,” Grog raised an arm, flexing his biceps. “See how charming these are?”

Everyone was laughing as Cassandra and Percy reappeared. Percy blushed as he sat down beside Vax, glancing down.

“Wait -” he looked at the gin and tonic in front of him. “I didn’t order.”

“Neither did I,” Cassandra gestured to the glass of lemonade in front of her. Vax and Vex raised their eyebrows at the Guinnesses that had been placed in front of them.

“Compliments from a stranger,” the Tiefling waitress reappeared. Scanlan stared as she braced herself on the table next to Vex, whose eyes traveled all the way up the waitress’ body. “I’m Zahra, by the way,” she said, tail flicking teasingly behind her.

“Vex’ahlia,” the half-elf answered as Vax pretended to throw up behind Percy’s chair, his hand going to the man’s shoulder. Cassandra shot him a pointed look, which he steadfastly ignored. “Pleasure to meet you.”

“Oh, the pleasure is entirely mine,” she purred before disappearing again. Vex watched her walk away, eyebrows raising.

“God, I hate you,” Vax said as he straightened. His hand hadn’t left Percy’s shoulder yet and the man was growing redder and redder with each look his sister threw at him. “Do you have no shame?”

“No more than you do, darling,” she said as she took a long drink from the tall glass of Guinness. Vax only smirked as he took up his own drink.

“Well, I think we should celebrate my first solo gig!” Scanlan shouted as he raised his empty cup into the air. “Another round, my good lady!”

By the time the night ended, Vex was leaning her head against a very tipsy Keyleth’s shoulder. The women laughed at Scanlan’s attempt to balance the shot glasses on one another. His drunken frustration grew with every toppled tower. Percy and Vax now sat so close to each other that they almost looked to be in each other’s laps, heads bent low as they spoke quietly. On Percy’s other side, Cassandra was sipping her lemonade with a very knowing look. She discussed sorcery with Tiberius, rugby with Grog, and hair tips with Pike. Conversations overlapped, rose and fell, and often broke into different topics with different people.

* * *

From across the room, a man in gold with dark hair leaned against the bar and watched the nine friends. Yes, they had become friends. Zahra slid up beside him, holding out her hand for a bag of gold. The payment of their drinks.

“Are you sure about this?” she asked, hesitant to walk away from him.

“Absolutely,” the man nodded, grinning as he picked up his coat. “I have never been surer of anything in my entire life.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This took so much longer than I was expecting, but it is finally up! Thank you for being patient with me and for continuing to comment and send such nice messages! And, of course, thank you so much for reading!
> 
> You can find me at alizarintea.tumblr.com  
> I happily accept prompts, questions and yelling about these idiots.


	4. Connection in an Isolating Age

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They get by with a little help from their friends. (Or something like that)

Morning came through Keyleth’s window bright and shining. Thursdays were the mornings she could wake up without the help of an alarm, as her classes began later in the day. Pike was just finishing up her tea as Keyleth padded out into the room, red hair a complete rat’s nest. Pike laughed as she caught sight of her roommate, looking Keyleth over. 

“You had fun last night,” she commented as she brought her cup to the sink. Keyleth hummed, head falling into her hands and twisting fingers into her hair. 

“I shouldn’t have had that last one. God, what was it?” she wrinkled her nose, trying to remember whatever Grog had placed in front of her. Something that had tasted like gasoline, really.

“Oh, I don’t remember,” Pike admitted. While she hadn’t gotten nearly as drunk as the others, she had definitely been able to hold her own during Grog’s drinking contest. Especially against Scanlan. The dancer picked up her bag and slung it over her shoulder, stopping by the doorway. “A few of us are meeting at the library again to get some studying done,” her hands twisted her blonde hair into a bun. “Did you want to come?”

Keyleth smiled and shook her head, gesturing to the boiling pot of water. Pike always knew exactly what she needed. “I have class in a few hours, I’ll just read over some of the material here. Thank you, though. Tell the others ‘hi’ from me.”

“After last night, I’m not sure how many will be there today.” She laughed, sliding on a pair of sandals and waved to Keyleth. “I’ll see you later.”

“Bye, Pike.”

With her roommate gone, Keyleth let herself drop her head to the table and groan. Loudly. Last night had been one of their tamer nights, but she had heard Tiberius, Grog and Scanlan plotting Grog’s victory party after the game on Saturday. They had even been talking about bets, which had caught Vax’s attention. 

Vax, who hadn’t left Percy’s side all night. It was kind of adorable. But it also made Keyleth wish she was so incredibly awkward all the time. Or that she had tried harder to - no, it didn’t matter. It didn’t. She didn’t need to talk to him, he was probably - off, far away. Probably didn’t even remember her at all.

Keyleth retrieved her phone from her bedroom and scrolled through her contacts, stopping at  **_Kashaw Vesh_ ** . It had been ninety-four days since they last talked.

**Kash:** _ Maybe I’ll see you again when I’m back in town, yeah? _

**Kiki:** _ I think I’d really like that. _

**Kash:** _You think?_

**Kiki:** _ I won’t know until you’re here ;) _

And that had been it. Ninety-four days of silence. Keyleth’s finger hovered over the keypad. She typed  _ Will I ever see you again?  _ But didn’t send it. Couldn’t. She stared at the message for a long time before she caught sight of the time.

“Shit,” she swore under her breath, running into the bathroom to take a shower. The phone dropped to the bed and lay forgotten. Ten minutes later, she was rushing out the door, tripping over shoes and bags. Her red hair flew around her face. 

In the bedroom, her phone dinged with a new message.

**Kash:** _You have good timing. I’ll be in Emon next week. Have dinner with me?_

 

* * *

 

The night before, Cassandra had been forced to drive a very tipsy Percy home. The amount of effort it had taken to get him away from Vax was both frustrating and kind of endearing. Percy had even been, dare she say it, _ giddy _ on the ride back to the flat. He was giggly and blushed at the slightest mention of the half-elf. It was a nice change from his usual broodiness, one that confused and delighted Cassandra all the way home. Even before they lost their family, Percy had been more likely to sulk in the library than flirt with the staff.

Still, she’d been dreading what the morning would look like. She’d have to research how to take the edge off hangovers.

When she woke up, it was to a suspiciously quiet flat. Percy usually woke up at the crack of dawn, if he got up at all. One more than a few occasions, Cassie had to drag him to bed and hide his notes and tinkering . . . things. The day she understood whatever her brother did in the dead of night would be the day Hell freezes over. Quietly, Cassie crept to her brother’s bedroom and opened the door, just a crack. She found Percy half-dressed, asleep on top of the covers, with papers strewn over the floor and desk. At least he was sleeping, she thought as she shut the door and darted to the shower. 

 

“ _ I remember that night, I just might regret that night for the rest of my days. I remember them soldier boys tripping over themselves to win our praise. I remember that dreamlike candle light like a dream you just can’t place. But Alexander, I’ll never forget the first time I saw your face.”  _

It had been weeks since Cassandra heard her brother sing. As she stepped out of the shower, she lifted her nose. Surprise made her eyes widen as she smelled . . . toast? The fact that he was also making breakfast was just astounding. Even if it was just toast. 

_ “I have never been the same. Intelligent eyes in a hunger-pang frame. And when you said ‘hi’ I forgot my dang name. Set my heart aflame, every part aflame, this not a game.” _

“Percy?” she asked from the doorway, wet hair wrapped up in a towel. “Is that you?” Her brother stopped, scrambling to turn down the music.

“Ah, sorry about that,” he breathed out, blushing. “Good morning.”

Cassie laughed, shaking her head. “Good morning to you, too. Sleep well?”

“Well, no, actually, but -” he shrugged, one hand scratching at the back of his head. “Well enough. What about you?”

“I had a wonderful night,” she smirked, one eyebrow quirking. Two pieces of toast sprung from the toaster, causing Percy to jump out of his skin. Cassie laughed again, gesturing to her room. “I’ll just get dressed.”

“Breakfast will be here,” he called after her. “Hopefully unburned.” The last sentence was muttered under his breath, safely out of earshot of Cassie. Percy looked suspiciously at the pieces of toast before drawing them both out and replacing them with fresh pieces of bread. It was the only thing he knew how to do, really. Make toast. When he was sure that Cassandra couldn’t hear him, he went back to his phone, turning it to full volume again.

__ “So this is what it feels like to match wits, with someone on your level, what the hell is the catch? It’s the feeling of freedom, of seeing the light . . .”  
  


* * *

  
He awoke to a car crash and a bucket of ice water being dumped over his head.

“Oh, g’morning Trinket,” Vax grumbled, one hand trying to push away the great slobbering mess that was his sister’s dog. “Go say hi to Mummy, hm?”

“He already did,” Vex said from the doorway. She looked impossibly smug with a cup of coffee and freshly showered hair. She clicked her tongue and Trinket jumped off of Vax’s bed, bounding down the hall to his food bowl, no doubt. Vax groaned, burying himself in his blankets. He wanted nothing more than for the world to disappear and for him to be swallowed by a black hole. “Stay up late talking to your boyfriend?”

“No,’ he huffed, peeking out from the covers, scowling. His sister’s eyebrow rose in surprise. “He hasn’t called or texted. I don’t have his number because - because he hasn’t called or texted. And he’s not my boyfriend.” He groaned, passing a hand over his eyes. It was too bright. Why was it so fucking bright?

“Poor baby,” she gave an over-exaggerated pout before throwing him a sharp grin. “Get a grip, brother. You have class soon.”

“ _ You  _ have class soon,” he wrinkled his nose, pulling the blankets over his head. Although she knew he couldn’t see it, she still felt satisfied by flipping him the finger as she left. All that could be heard be heard from the outside world was Vex calling Trinket, the general cacophony of getting him on a leash and out the door, and Vex’s final farewell.

The door slammed shut behind her and then the only sound left in the flat was Vax’s pained groan.

 

* * *

 

Some people liked to say that she and Vax were inseparable, which was mostly true. When it came down to it, they were the most loyal to each other, and always had been. When it came down to it, all they really had was each other. Vex had always believed that, since before she could even form coherent thoughts. Vax meant safe and safe meant home. It didn’t matter where they were or who else happened to be passing through their lives. It would always be Vex and Vax. 

But maybe he wasn’t completely wrong about the whole ‘other friends’ thing. Maybe.

“Vex’ahlia!” a voice rang out from the edge of the yard. Vex was kneeling next to Trinket, tying him to a tree in the shade - it really was too hot for October. When she looked up, she saw a tall figure with gorgeous red hair trotting across the green to her. And yes, her gait could only be described as trotting. Brushing her hands against her trousers, Vex stood up and smiled, lifting a hand in a wave.

“Well, hi,” she said, tossing her braid over her shoulder. “I wasn’t sure I’d see you here after last night.” Surprisingly, Keyleth had been one of the most vocal of the inebriated bunch last night. But if Keyleth was hungover, she didn’t show it. Figured.

“Oh, that was nothing,” she grinned, fingers twisting her hair back into a bun at the base of her neck. “Wait until Grog’s afterparty - that’s when we get really plastered.”

Vex tilted her head, fingers scratching at Trinket’s neck. The dog nosed first at her thigh and then at Keyleth’s. The other girl grinned and scratched a finger over his nose. Trinket huffed and pushed his head into her hand, making Vex’s lips twitch. Trinket was good at figuring out people. He was like her personal background check on newbies.

“Grog’s afterparty?”

“Oh, you didn’t know?” her green eyes looked so comically huge, so incredibly panicked, that Vex knew Keyleth never intended to exclude her or her brother. “You know how there’s a big game this weekend? One of the first elimination ones. At least, I think that’s what Grog keeps talking about. Either way, there’s a game on Saturday, which you and Vax are invited to, as we said last night. Obviously. And also a party at Grog and Tiberius’.”

“Those two actually live together?” Vex snorted, one dark eyebrow arching. Keyleth laughed a little nervously, twisting a strand of hair around her finger.

“Well, yeah. Tibs is actually pretty patient, sometimes. Mostly just with Grog. And Grog has his rare moments of, ah, well - sometimes, he isn’t all muscle and rugby. They live well together.” Her eyes wandered past Vex’s shoulder and immediately lit up. “Oh - speaking of.” Without warning, her tiny, surprisingly strong hands were turning Vex around. The half-elf let out a rather undignified squawk, unused to physical contact. Unless physical contact also included smacking her brother. It wasn’t until she’d regained most of her balance that she noticed Tiberius walking onto the lawn. And he had company. 

Vex hadn’t thought it was possible for a red Dragonborn to blush, but here they were. Allura didn’t even seem to notice. Or, if she did, she was steadfastly ignoring it. 

“Oh, no,” Keyleth groaned as she let her hands drop from Vex’s shoulders. The other woman let out a quiet breath. “He’s trying to be charming. Oh - oh, dear.” Both Vex and Keyleth gasped as Tiberius tripped over his robe and fell face-first into the mud. As Tiberius sputtered to his feet, they giggled helplessly behind their hands. Tiberius purposefully avoided eye contact with Allura until he was steady on his feet. Once there, he was the very picture of suave. However, he kept glancing down at himself to check for mud stains, giving away any chance at nonchalance. It wasn’t until she said goodbye to Tiberius and walked into her own classroom, avoiding every single puddle of mud, that he allowed himself to bury his face in his hands. One hand covered his eyes as the other dangled his glasses between to fingers. The young women glanced at each other, questioning, before deciding to take pity on the poor man.

Carefully, Vex and Keyleth approached the distressed Dragonborn, concern etched into their features. “You alright, buddy?” Keyleth asked, awkward as ever as she patted him on the shoulder. Tiberius shook his head, moaning out loud as he replaced his glasses on his snout. He pouted at Keyleth before looking forlornly in the direction of Allura’s classroom.

“On the bright side,” Vex added, arms crossing over her chest. “I don’t think she noticed the mud stains.”

That got his attention. The young man immediately looked up and panicked, his glasses sliding sideways as he frantically checked the folds of his robe, muttering under his breath in Draconian. Vex was almost entirely certain he was swearing.

“Hey, whoa, never mind, I was just kidding,” she waved her hands in the air, trying to smile reassuringly. “No mud. Promise.”

“Oh,” he let out a breath, adjusting his posture. It would have been impressive if his glasses weren’t still askew. “Well, that wasn’t very nice.”

“I never claimed to be,” she pointed out, reaching to correct the spectacles. Tiberius actually smiled. 

“Well, ah, that’s alright. We can’t all be very nice, now can we?” he turned to Keyleth, eyebrows raised.

“Um, well, actually -”

“No, you’re right,” Vex broke in. “Being nice all the time is exhausting.”

Keyleth looked dubiously between them, the twisting of her hair becoming nearly frantic. “I’m going to assume you are both just playing tricks on me, and move this conversation along. Tiberius -” she placed her hand on his shoulder. Vex marveled at how he immediately snapped to attention. “I was just telling Vex about the party on Saturday. You know, the one after we crush, um, whoever it is we’re playing against.”

“Oh, yes, that,” he blinked, shoulders straightening. “You are coming, correct?”

“I’m sure we can fit it in,” she shrugged. After all, Vax had already invited them both to the game. Prat.

“I’ll talk to Percy about it, too,” Keyleth said, then blinked. “Or - or you could. I mean, with Vax -”

“I don’t even think they’ve begun texting yet,” she rolled her eyes, lips twitching into a smirk. “He was a bit vocal about it last night, actually. God, he complains about everything when he’s drunk.”

“Oh, well, they just seemed so - ah -” Keyleth blinked, searching for the right word.

“Close.” Tiberius supplied, mouth curving into a smile. “They seemed close.”

“Yes, I know,” Vex drawled, her smirk turning wicked. “I think you’d best talk to Percy yourself. Otherwise my brother will spend the entire evening in a panic about seeing him. Surprises are much easier.”

“Isn’t that a little unfair to him?” Keyleth asked, biting at her lip.

“Correction - it’s easier on me,” Vex smiled. “Don’t worry. I’ll deal with my brother, you deal with Percival.”

“If you say so,” she shrugged and then glanced at her watch. “Oh, goodness, I’d better go. Meet up at the library, Tibs?” He nodded, waving her off. “Oh, and you, too, Vex,” she said, surprising Vex into freezing on the spot. “Library after class? We’re usually there for a few hours.”

“Oh, um. Maybe,” she shrugged noncommittally, arms crossing. “I’ll see what I can do.”

“Great!” Keyleth waved enthusiastically before making her way to her own class, skillfully avoiding every mud puddle. It was like they moved for her very feet, as if the very insult of dirt would sully the beautiful princess.

“You should come,” Tiberius’ voice made Vex jump. She hadn’t realised she’d been staring. “I know we can be overwhelming.” He gestured in the direction Keyleth had danced away to and Vex snorted her agreement. “But we’re good people. Other than Scanlan,” he added, face falling. “Never trust Scanlan.”

Vex laughed, nodding. “I’ll keep that in mind,” she said, taking a few steps back. “I’d better get going. Good luck doing . . . whatever it is you’re doing.”

“And you,” he bowed his head and turned on his heel to go - and promptly slipped into the mud.

 

* * *

 

Vax woke up to a text message.

Immediately, he was on high-alert, thinking of blond hair and pale eyes and tiny freckles that can only be seen if you’re sitting close enough. 

**Stubby:** I cut myself in cooking class. Why am I taking cooking class? I’m the one who cooks for us.

**Stabby:** How did you cut yourself?

**Stubby:** Freshmen don’t know how to move properly, apparently.

**Stabby:** Put some Windex on it.

**Stubby:** Go fuck yourself and GET OUT OF BED.

Vax tossed the phone aside and fell back onto the pillows, hands dragging over his face. His mouth was too dry and his head still hurt. And Percy still hadn’t texted him. God, he’d never had to wait this long for someone to respond. He’d passed over his number like it was a goddamn drug deal and what does the prat do? Nothing. He does nothing. 

But then he remembered the smell of oil and dark smudges on pale fingertips and the most charming, fleeting little smiles he had ever seen. Vax let his hands drop to his sides and stared at the ceiling. If Percival wasn’t going to contact him, then that would be fine. They went to school together. They had classes with one another. Vax would find him. And he would poke and prod until the sneaky bastard finally made actual contact. 

But first - aspirin. 

 

When he was properly clothed and medicated, Vax was actually able to formulate a plan on the bike ride over. He’d have to get Keyleth involved, probably. She and Vex had seemed awfully buddy-buddy last night, though, so that wouldn’t be too hard. He could figure out his schedule, compile notes from other students, find out where his desks were located. Maybe he could start a secret correspondence with Cassandra, she seemed smart. It was probably genetic. He could leave secret notes, Percy would never know -

Vax caught sight of a figure in a long coat skirting around the edge of the school. One eyebrow raised as he noticed nearly-white hair and a flashing pair of glasses. Scratch that. He could do all that complicated shit - or he could just follow Percival right now. Keeping close to the shadows, Vax tailed the man around the outskirts of campus and out into the surrounding woodlands. What the hell was he doing? Hiding a body? That cooler looked suspicious - why did he have a cooler on him? Fuck, had he been flirting with a serial killer? It was always the attractive ones, right? Psychopaths were charming, weren’t they? Was this what Percy did, lure men out into the woods and -

“I’m not entirely sure why you’re following me, but I don’t think it’ll be nearly as interesting as you think it is.” The voice that interrupted his thoughts was smug and attractive and probably murder-y. 

“I, uh, well.” In an attempt to look as if he hadn’t just been trailing Percy through the woods, Vax leaned against a nearby tree, shrugging. Looking cool. Suave. Attractive. Then he noticed Percy’s actual perfect posture and straightened his back, ankles crossing. Gentleman cool. Like one of those butlers. Wait - “I was just - waiting for class to start, as you do.” He waved a hand and Percy hummed, setting the cooler down at his feet. “And I noticed some very suspicious behavior. Young men with coolers,” he shook his head, tongue clicking. “Obviously, my mind went straight to 'psychopathic murderer'.”

“Obviously,” he quirked an eyebrow, blue eyes sparking. “And you thought the best course of action was to follow said psychopathic murderer into the most secluded part of the woods.”

“Well, I wouldn’t say -” No, wait, actually, Percy was right. Vax looked around at where they had stopped, not having realised how far they’d actually walked. How did he know where this place was, anyway? They were further from campus than he originally thought, in a small clearing with a few tree stumps and thick forest on every side. He looked back to Percy, who was staring at him with a raised eyebrow. “Do I get to at least tell my sister goodbye?” he asked.

“Hm,” he tilted his head, eyes narrowing. “I don’t think so.” And then Percy reached into his coat and pulled out - an actual motherfucking gun.

“Whoa, shit, I was joking.” Vax sprung away from the tree, hands held out in front of him like flags of surrender. “Are you actually a psychopath?”

“Am I what? What are you - oh.” Percy sighed, rolling his eyes. “This isn’t what you think.”

“I think it’s a gun,” he pointed out. Percy opened his mouth, paused, then closed it again, all with Vax watching warily.

“I - yes, it is a gun, but I’m not going to shoot you, Vax.” Percy laid the gun, barrel pointing into the underbrush, on the cooler and shrugged out of his coat. “It’s for science.” 

“Science,” he sounded skeptical even in his own ears. “You’re using a gun for science. In a secluded part of the woods.”

“Well, I couldn’t very well use the archery grounds. Anyone could have come across that. Isn’t there an archery team here or something?” Percy didn’t even seem to be interested in the answer as he rolled up the sleeves of his shirt. God, how many layers did this man wear? Vax struggled to find words as his mind grappled with the truly bizarre situation. He was in the woods, with Percy. Not so bad. Until you added the gun into the equation. And possibly whatever was in that cooler.

“Vex almost made it onto that. The archery team, that is. Would’ve made captain, probably.” It was the best he could think of, damn it. Why was there a bloody gun?

“Oh?” Percy raised an eyebrow, either completely unaware of Vax’s distress or very good at ignoring it. On second thought, he was probably doing it on purpose. “Why didn’t she?”

“My sister, ah, well,” Vax laughed, hands spreading as if he was the one asking for forgiveness. “She doesn’t play well with others.”

“I see,” he snorted, head tilting. “Is that hereditary?”

“Maybe,” he shrugged, smirking slightly. “This isn’t school-related, is it?” He motioned to the gun and the cooler. When Percy shook his head, Vax nodded. “Well. I don’t need to go to Classics today. I know all about Greek love,” he winked, glad for the chance of a joke. And - was Percy blushing? Oh, it was too adorable, even with the gun still between them.

“You sure about that?” he asked, kneeling in the dirt and moving the gun gingerly to the side before opening the cooler to reveal a weird block of - gelatin? It looked like that weird shit off Mythbusters. Which, actually, wouldn’t be that unlikely. Science and all. “Wouldn’t want to get you in trouble.”

“Just don’t tell my sister,” he whispered. “She’d be mad at me for not inviting her.”

Percy laughed, lifting the gel from its container. “My lips are sealed,” he promised as he brought the gel to a tree stump on the far end of the clearing. Vax watched for a moment before turning his attention on the gun. It was - weird. Silver and - was that wood? It looked simultaneously old and brand new, like a replica out of the industrial revolution.

“I made it,” Percy said as he bent to pick it up, fingers running over the carved handle. Vax blinked.

“I’m sorry, you what?” he asked, one eyebrow raising.

“Science,” he shrugged, looking down. Vax still caught the blush. “I need to test it. Make sure it shoots straight, that sort of thing.”

“You make guns,” the other man deadpanned, waiting for Percy’s nod before continuing. “Why?”

“It’s just - it’s something I read about, as a child,” he shifted his weight. Vax got the feeling Percy didn’t really like talking about his childhood. He knew the feeling. “It’s been in my family. Diagrams, drawings. There were rumours that we were descended from the man who designed the first gun.”

“Wow, that’s - impressive,” he blinked. It was, actually. It fit Percy, too. The long coat, the weirdly straight posture, the watch that Vax had just noticed that looked like it was literally made of cogs. Percy screamed steampunk. He probably had a plague mask in his room. And a top hat. Don’t think about Percy in a top hat, Vax’ildan.

“I guess,” he shrugged. “Anyway, the drawings were the only things that survived, um, heh,” he dragged his free hand through his hair, staring down at the gun instead of looking at Vax. He decided to take pity on him.

“Can I see it?” he asked cautiously. Percy looked up, absolutely adorable in his confusion. “The gun.”

“Oh. Sure. Yeah,” he held it out, handle first, but Vax stepped as close as possible to Percy and let him keep ahold of the gun. It was gorgeous. It seemed to be perfectly sculpted to the palm of his hand, with carvings and Latin on the barrel and bullet chambers.

“It’s beautiful,” he said softly, looking up at Percy and catching the way his adam’s apple bobbed when he swallowed. “Which I’ve never said about a gun, just so you know.”

“Well, then,” he cleared his throat. “I’m flattered.” Vax’s lips twitched up into a smile as he looked back down at the gun, thumb tracing over the words etched into the handle.

“What does it say?” he asked, letting his hand drop to his side. Percy smirked, head ducking.

“I thought you were in Classics,” he commented, looking up with an impossibly smug expression. Vax just shrugged, waiting patiently. “It’s, ah, to do with my family.” He took Vax’s hand, guiding his thumb over each word. “Honor. Loyalty. Mercy.” Percy shrugged, looking embarrassed as he let go of Vax’s hand again. “It’s - sentimental.”

“It sounds like your family is straight out of a Gothic novel,” he snorted. Percy laughed shortly, shrugging.

“Yeah, well. Maybe we are. Cassie is definitely the one who got the mercy bit, though,” he smirked.

“So I should absolutely be worried about being shot in the woods, then,” he deadpanned, the only giveaway that he was kidding was his eyes. They were  _ dancing.  _ For a moment, Percy was almost nervous, but those eyes set him at ease instantly.

“Well, yes,” he held up the gun carefully, finger resting on the trigger. “I mean, I would be. If I happened to be in the middle of the woods with a psychopath.” And then he winked and Vax really couldn’t keep himself together. He laughed, genuine and warm. The kind of laugh that shook his entire body and spread all the way down to Percy’s toes. True laughter. It had been awhile since he’d made someone laugh like that. Even Cassie was difficult to crack, most days. Hereditary, probably.

“Do you know how to shoot?” Vax asked when he’d finally regained his composure. Percy snorted and rolled his eyes. Without looking away from Vax, he disengaged the safety, aimed, and shot the first bullet right through the center of the ballistics block.

“Does that answer your question?” he asked, one eyebrow raising. Vax never thought he’d be turned on by someone shooting a gun, but here they were. 

“Yeah, I think so,” he said, voice higher than he’d meant it to be. Percy smirked, letting the gun rest at his side. “Oh, that reminds me, actually, I had another question.” Percy’s eyebrow quirked. Were they always that expressive? It was kind of hot. “You - hah. Um. At the risk of sounding like some desperate freshman, um,” he swallowed. “You haven’t - called. Or texted. And I just - don’t know why.”

Percy blinked before his expression smoothed over into a wicked smirk. God, Vax hated him. “I guess I just haven’t had anything to call about yet.” Vax tried not to linger too much on the last word, instead focusing on the man himself. Yet. Yet? Such a small word, but what did it mean? Fuck, he was going crazy. Why did Percy even talk to him?

Percy raised the gun again, surprised when Vax didn’t even flinch. “Wanna try it?”

Vax looked at the gun, then at Percy’s smirking face, then at the gun again. “Fuck yeah, I wanna try it.”

 

* * *

 

Despite the bandaged hand - she had refused to go to the actual healer over a stupid cut - Vex decided that going to the library wouldn’t be an awful idea. She actually liked Keyleth and Tiberius seemed to be . . . warming up to her, at least. If nothing else, they were good drinking buddies. And who didn’t need a good drinking buddy? Vax really was an insufferable drunk. Vex thought she deserved some fun people to drink with. Even Grog was more fun than Vax, and he broke four glasses last night.

“. . . the tension is unbearable,” Scanlan was saying as she approached a table in the corner of the library, safely away from the keen eyes of Kima. The musician was currently sitting on the table, his legs crossed, with his ever-present guitar propped against an empty chair. He was sitting next to Pike’s pile of textbooks and leaning one elbow on it, his attention mostly on Pike herself as she attempted to actually study. Keyleth was on her other side, books open but her focus on Scanlan. Vex stood a little behind, out of sight of the trio, preferring to find an appropriate entrance rather than barging in. Because that was rude, Vax.   
  
"Have you seen those two together? It's almost as steamy as Pike and I."  
  
Vex snorted, and instantly regretted it. Three heads immediately swiveled to look at her. She raised her hands, eyebrows arching. "Um, hi. I was invited, I think . . ."  
  
"Yes, yeah, of course," Keyleth said quickly, though she was blushing furiously. "Sit, please," she pulled out the chair next to her, smile nervous. Vex cautiously set down her bag and sat in the proffered chair, expression still wary as she looked at each of their faces.  
  
"Well, don't stop gossiping on account of me," she said when the silence had gotten a little too awkward and the shared looks a little too weird. Still nothing. One dark eyebrow arched as she waited. "I like gossip," she added, nails tapping on the table. Pike glanced at Keyleth, nose scrunching. "Unless it's about me . . . I guess."  
  
"Oh, no!" Pike said quickly, leaning over Keyleth. Vex blinked. "No, it's not about you at all."  
  
"It's a little about you," Scanlan added, wincing when Pike smacked him.   
  
"It isn't about you," Keyleth assured her, resting her hand on Vex's wrist. She blinked again. They were all so . . . touchy. Or, to use TIberius' word, _close_. "I promise."  
  
"Who is it about then?" Vex asked carefully. "If not me?"  
  
"Your other half," Scanlan grinned, turning so he was facing Vex. "And his other half."  
  
"I don't think I follow," she said, eyebrows furrowing. "Who?"  
  
"Vax," Pike said carefully. "And Percy."  
  
Oh. That made sense. "You think they're . . . steamy?" The word came out as more of gag as she tried very hard not to think about that. "Um. Ew."  
  
"I think they're, ah," Scanlan paused, searching for the right word.   
  
"Close," Keyleth added. "They seem close." She glanced at Vex, lips curving into a smile, as if they had their own private joke. Which . . . she supposed they did, actually. Vex found herself smiling back without really intending to. This was odd. Keyleth glanced down at where her hand was still on Vex’s wrist, her eyes growing larger. “Oh, god, what happened?”

“What?” Vex blinked, expression clouding over until she realised she still had the bandage over her palm. “Oh. No, it’s fine. Cooking accident.”

“Here,” Pike reached across Keyleth to take Vex’s hand from her. Vex could only stare, one eyebrow nearly reaching her hairline as Pike curled over her hands over Vex’s. After a moment, she felt a warm sort of - light spread all the way through her fingertips to her toes. Smiling serenely, Pike unwrapped the bandage to reveal Vex’s palm - without a single scratch. 

“Oh, um, wow,” she took her hand back gently, looking from it up to Pike. “Thank you.” Pike shrugged, pink rising in her cheeks.

“It’s no problem. I do it all the time for Grog when he get beat up in the games. Or - outside of the games,” she laughed. “It’s no problem doing it for all my friends.”

Vex’s throat closed on the word ‘friends’. “Oh. Thank you.” Pike just smiled at her and shrugged one shoulder before turning back to her book.

“That’s my girl,” Scanlan grinned, reaching out and tugging Pike’s ponytail. The young woman reached up and yanked Scanlan right off the table and onto the floor. “Never mind.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I cannot express how much all your support means to me! Your comments, your kudos, everything. Golden!
> 
> Come yell at me over at alizarintea.tumblr.com

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first major work, I hope it lives up to all of our expectations. You can send me messages, prompts, and art requests over at alizarintea.tumblr.com! Thank you for reading!


End file.
